illness – Organic Authorityhttp://www.organicauthority.com
Organic Authority - organic food, organic living, green living, organic thoughts.Tue, 20 Mar 2018 01:45:27 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.4Paper Towels or Excess Water Consumption: Which Is Worse?http://www.organicauthority.com/sanctuary/paper-towels-water-consumption-which-is-worse.html
Sun, 03 Nov 2013 15:00:00 +0000http://www.organicauthority.com/s2-sanctuary/c5-sanctuary/paper-towels-water-consumption-which-is-worse/Recently I had lunch in Lima at a busy little garden cafe with lots of vegan dishes. I always wash my hands before I eat (and hardly ever get sick when I travel). In the restroom, instead of a roll of paper towels or air dryer, the restaurant had small cloth towels rolled up for […]

Recently I had lunch in Lima at a busy little garden cafe with lots of vegan dishes. I always wash my hands before I eat (and hardly ever get sick when I travel). In the restroom, instead of a roll of paper towels or air dryer, the restaurant had small cloth towels rolled up for individual use. I dried my hands, and then tossed the wet towel into the laundry hamper. I repeated this process after using the toilet after the meal, and left with nagging question in my head:

Paper waste is often looked down upon by the green lifestyle. But is it really better for the environment to use a separate cloth towel every time you wash your hands? Is it better to kill a tree or contribute to water consumption? I have asked this question to many friends since my experience, and I’ve received mixed answers.

How would you answer this environmental conundrum?

“Just don’t wash your hands,” was the advice of some people – but we all know well that washing your hands before you eat and after you use the bathroom is one of the best ways to prevent gastrointestinal illness. Paper waste and water consumption notwithstanding, eating with dirty toilet-germ hands is not a chance I am willing to take at home, much less in a foreign country.

“Dry your hands off with a reusable cloth towel – everybody shares.” Sharing is good practice for some occasions, but sharing toilet germs is probably not a good idea for anyone. We’ve all encountered a damp, dirty cloth hand towel in a public restroom – and you probably chose to drip dry or wipe your hands on your clothes to dry them off. Even reusable cloth towels at home can harbor bacteria if they are not washed on a regular basis…which brings us back to water consumption.

“Wipe your hands on your clothes” – Great idea if your clothes are clean. But what if you’ve been wearing the same jeans for two weeks? Sorry, but research shows that this option is just not hygienic.

“Don’t dry your hands” – This would solve the paper waste problem if wet hands weren’t known to spread bacteria faster than dry hands. Like soap, drying your hands is an essential part of the hand washing process.

“Use an air dryer” – If a hot air dryer is available, this is indeed the greener option, as it eliminates paper waste. However it is not the healthiest option, as air dryers don’t dry as effectively as towels. Depending on how modern it is, one must use an air dryer up 45 seconds to achieve the same level of dryness as you would with a towel, and most people walk away long before their hands are totally dry. Even if you dry your hands completely with an air dryer, it still won’t remove bacteria as well as a towel would, either paper or cloth.

“Reusable cloth towels are better for the environment.” Despite my misgivings at the vegan restaurant, this appears to be true – especially if you purchase used towels made from organic cotton in the first place, and wash them with biodegradable soap. Producing and cleaning cloth towels results in less labor, resource, and water consumption than making a disposable paper towel, which is used once and then thrown away forever.

Being green is important – but so is staying healthy. You can’t protect the environment if you’re sick in bed. For best results wherever you are, wash your hands thoroughly with warm water and soap before every meal and after using the toilet – every single time, then dry your hands completely–regardless of what method you have to use.

]]>Old Wine Is Mighty Divine: 5 Ways To Recycle Your Redshttp://www.organicauthority.com/juicy-spirits/old-wine-is-mighty-divine-5-ways-to-recycle-your-booze.html
Wed, 20 Jul 2011 05:37:36 +0000http://www.organicauthority.com/s11-eco-chic-table/c32-juicy-spirits/old-wine-is-mighty-divine-5-ways-to-recycle-your-booze/Perhaps you’re not a big fan of the red wine blend that you coughed up five whole smackers for (thanks, Trader Joes!)… or you just found out that you’re pregnant… or your sole vice in life plagues you with terrible wine-induced migrane headaches (um… some sacrifices are worth it, I guess?). Whatever reason you may […]

Perhaps you’re not a big fan of the red wine blend that you coughed up five whole smackers for (thanks, Trader Joes!)… or you just found out that you’re pregnant… or your sole vice in life plagues you with terrible wine-induced migrane headaches (um… some sacrifices are worth it, I guess?). Whatever reason you may find yourself scratching your head while pondering how on earth you can make the most of your remaining wine dregs, you’ve come to the right place. Behold five shiny new ways to turn that leftover juice into something that Momma Nature would be proud of:

Sorbet, Anyone?

Not nearly as calorically dense as ice cream (thanks to its dairy-free status), sorbet is the grown-up version of an ice pop, bestowing the tongue with an explosion of cool, fruity relief on a hot summer’s day. Throwing a little wine into the mix – well, of course it’s an inspired idea! – especially if you try whipping up a little pear-red wine blend or dabble in a sensational sangria delight. You’ll ask yourself why you never ventured into DIY sorbet territory sooner once you see just how easy the process is from start to finish, and it just might keep you out of the supermarket freezer case once and for all!

Dye Some Yarn…. Or Next Year’s Easter Eggs

Unlike the deep jewel-like liquid found within a wine bottle, more of a subtle mauve tone (with a grey-pinkish-cast) can be achieved when yarn and/or eggs are dyed with grapey leftovers. For those who want to tint yarn, the tried-and-true Kool-Aid procedure works like a charm, instead using your unwanted merlot in place of the neon drink packets – just be sure to ‘glove up’ in order to prevent nails and skin from absorbing the intense grape skin pigments.

DIY Your Own Vinegar (don’t buy it)

For some, the kitchen is a true haven away from the madness of the outside world as well as the means by which gourmet visions are transformed into soul-satisfying, taste-bud titillating meals. Red wine vinegar happens to be one of those basic culinary tools that no home chef should be without, and as with countless other ingredients that often taste so much better when they’re prepared from scratch, this piquant condiment is no exception. So, whether you want to use up that bottle of Merlot, Cabernet, Syrah, or unassuming yet perfectly palatable blend that comes in a 5 liter jug, it can live on in infamy courtesy of your very own DIY blend when poured on salads, cooked in stews or used as the base for vinaigrettes.

Give Plain Pasta a Flavor Boost!

Fans of French cuisine are intimately familiar with the magic that happens when red wine is added to bouef bourguignon or a simple pearl onion and wild mushroom sauté, so imagine the alchemy that results when leftover wine is added to a simple pot of spaghetti – whoa! Dazzle your significant other, family and friends by making drunken red wine pasta, a reasonably affordable yet supremely eco-friendly meal that will stimulate the senses while making everyone think that you have secret celebrity chef aspirations.

Make a Face Mask

Eating copious amounts of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables can offer an insurance policy against the development of multiple chronic ailments, as can regularly indulging in green tea, dark chocolate and – surprise, surprise! – red wine, thanks to its naturally occurring phenols which are linked to cancer and heart disease prevention, reduced blood sugar levels and overall longevity. Since what we apply to our epidermal layer is absorbed into our bodies, slathering on a DIY facial mask made with red wine, green tea powder and cocoa powder can conceivably offer a health-bestowing jolt… but who says that kicking back and savoring all of that free-radical thwarting, facial rejuvenation power isn’t just plain old relaxing? Sounds like a pretty good reason to crack open another bottle!

]]>Why Antibacterial Soaps Do Us No Favorshttp://www.organicauthority.com/sanctuary/why-antibacterial-soaps-do-us-no-favors.html
Sat, 16 Jul 2011 07:22:48 +0000http://www.organicauthority.com/s2-sanctuary/c5-sanctuary/why-antibacterial-soaps-do-us-no-favors/A bar of soap used to be a relatively uncomplicated affair, designed solely to purge our bodies of dirt, oils, dead skin cells and other particulates that manifested throughout the course of a typical work day. Somewhere along the line, however, manufacturers began realizing that they could capitalize on a tremendous void in the market. […]

A bar of soap used to be a relatively uncomplicated affair, designed solely to purge our bodies of dirt, oils, dead skin cells and other particulates that manifested throughout the course of a typical work day. Somewhere along the line, however, manufacturers began realizing that they could capitalize on a tremendous void in the market. While plain Jane bars that boasted 99.44/100% pure ingredients were admittedly efficient at restoring our hands and other respective body parts to their former zippy-clean glory, it was time to usher in a new generation of products that would cater to our every fragrance whim and turbo-cleansing desire.

Suddenly, bath bars were turning up in all sorts of rainbow shades and scents – which we became incredibly fond of – but manufacturers went back to the drawing board and began integrating newer generation ingredients into their formulas. Before long, we went positively gaga for vitamin-enriched bars as well as those that incorporated aloe, pulverized apricot pits, flower petals, medicinal herbs, oatmeal, goat’s milk, fruit and vegetable bits, chunks of purportedly ionizing pebbles (hey, why not?) and – oooooh, wait a second – how about antibacterial agents? Since people are so freaked out about germs, let’s put their minds at ease by mixing those chemicals directly INTO our soaps! Hot damn, they’re gonna sell like hot cakes! (And so they did.)

Now, there’s a bit of good news in all of this. Washing your hands thoroughly after engaging in any potentially messy business – including the preparation of raw meat, using the bathroom, sneezing/blowing your nose/coughing, cleaning up after a family pet, changing baby diapers, touching doorknobs/light switches/television remote controls/computer mice and keyboards – is a sure-fire way of preventing disease. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and The American Medical Association both concur that germs of all types can be effectively torched as long as we lather and scrub for the exact period of time that it takes to sing the Happy Birthday song twice in a row.

The bad news, however, is that we don’t need antibacterial agents to pull it all off. In fact, we don’t even need them just a little. It’s always kind of nice to take out an insurance policy against germs – which is probably why antibacterial soaps have enjoyed such a prosperous heyday. But, for 100% germ-fighting success, all we really have to do while scrubbing with a conventional bar of soap is to give proper attention to the areas between fingers and underneath nails. Seriously – that’s it.

To the rational mind, the word ‘antibacterial’ sounds altogether practical (after all, we want to kick germs, microbes and other nasties to the curb), and for multiple decades, cleansing agents with these compounds have proven to be very valuable to hospital institutions where countless strains of bacteria typically run rampant. They were not, however, created for home use, and now with such a large percentage of the average population cleaning up with antibacterial-laden soaps, an unfortunate ‘side effect’ has resulted. Bacteria are now able to mutate into super-powered future generations that thrive through adaptation despite the presence of the chemicals that once made them pull a Wicked Witch of the West. In effect, that means that lathering up with your favorite anti-bacterial soap is no longer enough to wash that bug right out of your hair (or hands, as the case may be).

Antibacterial agents include an assortment of broad spectrum microbe-fighting chemicals such as Tetrasodium EDTA, Triclocarban, Surcide PCMX, Chloroxylenol, Trichlorocarbamide and most famously, Triclosan (the very same chemical that is found in ¾ of the entire population’s urine) which – when applied to our bodies – have proven to weaken the effect of prescribed antibiotics as well as increase the incidence of allergies and asthma. Scientists believe that by living in hyper-sanitized households, children (in particular) end up with underdeveloped immune systems that fail to sufficiently flex their antibody-making-muscles, resulting in far more frequent illnesses that would normally be preventable. Studies conducted by the FDA and the EPA also found that Triclocarban and Triclosan are responsible for compromising reproductive hormone activity while also interfering with the messaging systems of the various body cells such as those in the heart and brain.

Beyond its effect on the human body, once the active chemical ingredients in antibacterial soaps enter water treatment plants, they can degrade into carcinogenic dioxins – at least, that’s exactly what has happened with Triclosan. Now, with close to 60% of American waterways containing that antibacterial agent (which, not surprisingly, is toxic to marine life), algae, fish and crustaceans are at threat, as are soil-born worms that absorb it into their flesh. Big deal? Indeed. Worms aerate the soil that our nation’s farmers grow our food crops in – the very same soil that is fertilized with up to 223 tons of Triclocarban and Triclosan-laden sewage sludge annually. Um, guess what happens when crop roots come into contact with these antibacterial chemicals? Yup… they suck it right up, which means that somewhere down the line – if you’re consuming conventionally raised vegetables – you too are sucking it right up whether you like it or not.

Sage individuals are known for waxing poetic about the interconnectedness of our actions on the planet, but the concept can seem so obscure to us that it’s often easier to nod and grin rather than to admit that we just don’t ‘get it.’ Hopefully, this article will inspire all of us to reevaluate the type of soap that we willingly apply to our epidermis and various household surfaces, bearing in mind that once the suds go down the drain, antibacterial agents will still enjoy a jet-setting experience while contaminating as many terrestrial and aquatic life forms as possible. This seems like the perfect reason to au naturel, at least with regard to DIY eco/people-friendly soaps. Viva la green cleaners!

]]>Coffee May Protect Against Diseasehttp://www.organicauthority.com/blog/organic/coffee-may-protect-against-disease/
http://www.organicauthority.com/blog/organic/coffee-may-protect-against-disease/#commentsThu, 26 Jan 2006 15:42:31 +0000http://www.organicauthority.com/blog/?p=66It’s surprising when something that was once considered questionable for your health turns out to have health benefits, usually with the proviso to consume it “in moderation.” This happened with chocolate and alcohol, and now it’s coffee’s turn, according to the February edition of the Harvard Health Letter. Here’s some of the mostly good news […]

It’s surprising when something that was once considered questionable for your health turns out to have health benefits, usually with the proviso to consume it “in moderation.” This happened with chocolate and alcohol, and now it’s coffee’s turn, according to the February edition of the Harvard Health Letter. Here’s some of the mostly good news about coffee:

Blood Pressure
Results from long-term studies show that coffee may not increase the risk for high blood pressure over time, as previously thought. Study findings for other cardiovascular effects are a mixed bag.

Cancer
Coffee may have anti-cancer properties. Last year, researchers found that coffee drinkers were 50% less likely to get liver cancer than nondrinkers. A few studies have found ties to lower rates of colon, breast and rectal cancers.

Cholesterol
Two substances in coffee—kahweol and cafestol—raise cholesterol levels. Paper filters capture these substances, but this doesn’t help the many people who now drink unfiltered coffee drinks, such as lattes. Researchers have also found a link between cholesterol increases and decaffeinated coffee, possibly because of the type of bean used to make certain blends.

Diabetes
Heavy coffee drinkers may be half as likely to get diabetes as light drinkers or nondrinkers. Coffee may contain chemicals that lower blood sugar. A coffee habit may also increase your resting metabolism rate, which could help keep diabetes at bay.

Parkinson’s Disease
Coffee seems to protect men, but not women, against Parkinson’s disease. One possible explanation for the gender difference may be that estrogen and caffeine need the same enzymes to be metabolized, and estrogen captures those enzymes.

Organic Authority Article Link

]]>http://www.organicauthority.com/blog/organic/coffee-may-protect-against-disease/feed/1Spicy Foods & Your Sinuseshttp://www.organicauthority.com/blog/organic/spicy-foods-your-sinuses/
http://www.organicauthority.com/blog/organic/spicy-foods-your-sinuses/#commentsFri, 20 Jan 2006 13:45:31 +0000http://www.organicauthority.com/blog/?p=62 I’ve been writing this week about the joys of cooking with fresh wasabi, as well as favorite organic wasabi products. In fact, during this time of year, many individuals turn to spicy foods like chili peppers and wasabi to clear their sinuses as they endure seasonal allergies, a winter cold or the flu. It […]

I’ve been writing this week about the joys of cooking with fresh wasabi, as well as favorite organic wasabi products. In fact, during this time of year, many individuals turn to spicy foods like chili peppers and wasabi to clear their sinuses as they endure seasonal allergies, a winter cold or the flu. It seems like a perfectly sensible approach to personal care—but you may be setting yourself up for trouble.

According to the latest research, eating wasabi and other spicy foods offers brief relief, causing your nose to run, itchiness to disappear and your sinuses to drain. But in reality, your nasal congestion will worsen, making you even more miserable. Here’s why: Allylisothiocyanate—the pungent ingredient found in wasabi, horseradish and mustard—causes a transient burning sensation in the nose, and the dilator naris muscle temporarily allows more air to enter. Receptors within the nose then tell your brain that you’re breathing easier.

Unfortunately, your nose is fooling your brain. Eating spicy foods ultimately produces greater nasal congestion and increased mucus production, according to a clinical study conducted by Drs. David S. Cameron and Raul M. Cruz of the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Oakland, California.

So, Mom may have known best after all: Drink plenty of fluids, particularly hot beverages like organic tea and chicken soup (often referred to as “Jewish penicillin”).

“For a long-term effect, we recommend rinsing the sinus cavity twice a day with a saline solution,” says Dr. Mark Kerner, an otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat specialist) with offices in Encino and Northridge, California. “See a qualified otolaryngologist who specializes in sinusitis if the problem continues.” He or she will want to rule out a bacterial sinus infection.

]]>http://www.organicauthority.com/blog/organic/spicy-foods-your-sinuses/feed/7Body-Conscious Holiday Travelhttp://www.organicauthority.com/blog/organic/body-conscious-holiday-travel/
Tue, 20 Dec 2005 01:40:18 +0000http://www.organicauthority.com/blog/?p=37Traveling during the holidays can be extremely stressful, so you need to protect your body and give some extra TLC to your organic spirit. If you’re flying home or driving for more than a few hours, it’s particularly vital to protect your back. “All that sitting in seats that aren’t designed specifically for you can […]

Traveling during the holidays can be extremely stressful, so you need to protect your body and give some extra TLC to your organic spirit. If you’re flying home or driving for more than a few hours, it’s particularly vital to protect your back.

“All that sitting in seats that aren’t designed specifically for you can take a toll,” says Dr. Scott Donkin, a chiropractor, ergonomics expert and author of “Sitting on the Job.”

“Even though you’re sitting in a plane, car or bus,” he adds, “there is still activity in your body. There are pressures and forces at work”—all of which can flatten your spine when it should remain curved or tilt your head at an awkward angle.

Dr. Donkin and the American Chiropractic Association encourage holiday travelers to heed the following tips to avoid aches, strains and soreness:

Stand up straight and feel the normal “S” curve of your spine. Use rolled-up pillows or blankets to maintain this curve when you take your seat. Tuck a pillow behind your back and just above the beltline. Lay another pillow across the gap between your neck and the headrest. If the seat is hollowed from wear, use folded blankets to raise your buttocks slightly.

Check bags heavier than 20% of your body weight. Overhead lifting of any significant amount of weight should be avoided to reduce the risk of pain in the lower back or neck. While lifting your bags, stand straight—away from the overhead compartment—so the spine is not rotated during the process. Don’t lift your bags over your head, and don’t turn or twist your head and neck in the process.

When stowing belongings under your seat, don’t force the object with an awkward motion of your legs, feet or arms. This may cause muscle strain or spasms in the upper thighs and lower back muscles. Instead, sit in your seat and, using both hands, stow your bags in the space directly in front of you.

Tune in tomorrow for more holiday travel tips that fit your organic lifestyle…